What are the responsibilities and job description for the R&D Software Programmer position at Kadant Johnson LLC?
Overview
Kadant is seeking a skilled full-time R&D Software Programmer experienced in maintaining and modernizing legacy systems. The ideal candidate will have a solid foundation in software development principles, a methodical approach to problem-solving, and a professional respect for improving long-standing systems that are vital to daily operations. This position will be part of a small industrial R&D team located in Three Rivers, Michigan. Experience in an engineering or industrial environment is a strong plus.
Responsibilities
Kadant is seeking a skilled full-time R&D Software Programmer experienced in maintaining and modernizing legacy systems. The ideal candidate will have a solid foundation in software development principles, a methodical approach to problem-solving, and a professional respect for improving long-standing systems that are vital to daily operations. This position will be part of a small industrial R&D team located in Three Rivers, Michigan. Experience in an engineering or industrial environment is a strong plus.
Responsibilities
- Lead efforts to maintain, update, and enhance existing VB6 applications used for operational and production systems.
- Troubleshoot and resolve issues within legacy codebases while minimizing disruption to business processes.
- Migrate and refactor VB6 components into modern frameworks such as .NET where appropriate.
- Design, code, test, and document new software applications or system features.
- Collaborate with engineering, IT, and production teams to translate system requirements into reliable software solutions.
- Maintain version control, deployment documentation, and coding standards.
- Participate in system testing, validation, and occasional user training as needed.
- Working knowledge of Visual Basic 6 (VB6)
- Proficiency with .NET and the C family of programming languages (C, C , C#).
- Strong understanding of database systems (SQL Server, Access, or similar).
- Familiarity with Windows-based application architecture and API integration.
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Software Engineering, or related field.
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities with a disciplined, structured approach.
- Clear documentation habits and the ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical users.
- Experience in an industrial, manufacturing, or engineering environment.
- Familiarity with industrial systems, data acquisition, or automation interfaces.
- Knowledge of source control systems such as Git or SVN.
- Understanding of modern software migration strategies and lifecycle management.